Facebook, Publicis Groupe Reach Multiyear Deal (AllFacebook)
Facebook clinched a huge advertising deal Monday, as Ad Age reported that the social network inked a long-term partnership with advertising holding company Publicis Groupe, which includes media networks Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia, as well as digital agencies Digitas, Razorfish and Rosetta. Ad Age pegged the value of the deal at some $500 million, although neither company would specify terms. Adweek Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram also is part of the multi-year deal with the French media holding company and its Starcom MediaVest Group, which committed to spend “hundreds of millions of dollars.” “[The deal] focuses on the future areas of digital marketing including data, image-based storytelling and online video advertising, offering the agencies’ clients new opportunities ahead of the marketplace,” a Facebook rep said in a statement to Adweek. Ad Age Both companies declined to comment on inventory commitments and deal value, insisting the agreement wasn’t centered on spending. The agencies and their clients — which include Procter & Gamble, Verizon, Walmart and Coca-Cola — will receive benefits such as favorable rates on a handful of Facebook products, according to people familiar with the matter. The Wall Street Journal Specifics of the deal are somewhat vague, making it difficult to discern exactly what’s changing hands. But Facebook hinted the partnership is, at least in part, designed to help it figure out how it can better work with marketers. MediaPost Facebook’s tools have evolved dramatically over the past two years, and the social network sees these partnerships as validation for its enhanced fleet of offerings and capabilities. At the same time, Publicis will have access to the Facebook application platform interface, and SMG will integrate its content advertising platform — CONTENT@SCALE — into the recently announced Facebook Ad Network.

Twitter Is Considering a Deal to Buy SoundCloud (Re/code)
Twitter may try to buy its way out of its growth problem by making another move into music. The company is considering a deal to acquire SoundCloud, the music and audio-sharing company, according to people familiar with both companies.

Web Video is a ‘Different Kind of Medium’ (SocialTimes)
In an Internet Week panel hosted by Vice, media people got together to discuss the rise of online video. “Digital video is a different kind of medium,” said Richard Wolffe, executive editor of msnbc.com. “The video experience on devices is much more immersive, much more immediate.”

What to Make of a Potential YouTube-Twitch Deal (TIME)
Some in the gaming community are in panic mode at the thought of another beloved service being swallowed whole by a tech titan. We did, after all, just go through this with Facebook and Oculus VR.

Montreal Canadiens, Jimmy Fallon Make Playoff Bet on Twitter (LostRemote)
With the Eastern Conference Finals underway, The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens are battling for more than just a shot at the Stanley Cup Finals. On Friday, the Montreal Canadiens tweeted at Jimmy Fallon and proposed a bet: if the Canadiens beat the Rangers, Fallon must wear a Canadiens jersey during one of his monologues.

McDonald’s Happy Meal Character Frightens Social-Media Users (Bloomberg)
A new McDonald’s character named Happy is inspiring a different emotion among Twitter users: fear. The box-shaped creature — with Gumby-like arms, eyes that pop out of the top of his head and a gaping mouth filled with large teeth — was intended to promote healthier Happy Meals for kids. So far, though, it’s mainly drawn alarm and ridicule on social media.

If Quality Content is King, is Distribution Queen? (SocialTimes)
In a time when traditional news outlets are dealing with a broken business model and having to compete with social platforms for people’s attention, it seems that distribution through social is not their highest priority. “The most important thing that I think any journalist can do on social is to use it as a reporting tool,” said Eric Carvin, social media editor at the Associated Press.

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